True Blue

"These intimate episodes, written by the law officers who lived them, are funny, sad, moving and powerful . . . everybody should own this memorable book." —Joseph Wambaugh, New York Times–bestselling author After September 11, 2001, Las Vegas Police Sergeant Randy Sutton began soliciting writing from law enforcement officers—his goal being to bridge the gap between the police and those they serve, with a book that offers a broad and thoughtful look at the many facets of police life. Hundreds of active and former officers responded from all over the United States: men and women from big cities and small towns, some who had written professionally, but most for the first time. Sutton culled the selections into five categories: The Beat, Line of Duty, War Stories, Officer Down, and Ground Zero. The result is True Blue, a collection of funny, charming, exciting, haunting stories about murder investigations, missing children, bungling burglars, car chases, lonely and desperate shut-ins, routine traffic stops, officers killed in the line of duty, and the life-changing events of September 11. Here, officers reveal their emotions—fear and pride, joy and disgust, shame and love—as they recount the defining moments of their careers. In these stories, the heart and soul behind the badge shines through in unexpected ways. True Blue will change the way we think about the deeply human realm of police service. "A simply great new book . . . funny, sad, and, at times, haunting, the essays capture mundane events, as well as tragic ones . . . But they all come right from the heart that beats beneath the badge." — New York Daily News